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One of his other passions is music, especially the smooth jazz that can often be heard
drifting over the lush jungle canopy beneath the café's balcony. “I always dreamed more
of having a jazz café,” Emilio says, “but I didn't have the money back then, but now it's
become what I really like.” The shift to the new premises in late 2013 meant not just more
room for patrons and an amazing ocean view but also more space for live music. “I love
music; jazz and folk music,” he says enthusiastically. “What I try to do is have as much
jazz as I can.” He gladly mixes in other styles and influences, and hopes to continue to host
more. “Flamenco, tango, I try to bring in some Bossa Nova — those are the type of events
we have here.”
For some patrons, the music, like his desserts, has been an acquired taste, but it's a
taste Manuel Antonio is supporting. “When I first opened, I had to give away a lot of my
desserts, because they weren't flavors people were used to,” he says. “I stayed along the
same lines, so customers slowly began trying them and trying them and then they began to
like them. But in the beginning people saw those cakes - with picante chili, basil, or ginger
